In wired docking solutions, such as connecting to a docking station through a laptop docking connector, port replicator, USB connector or iPod/iPhone connector, there is a clear one-to-one relationship of the docked device and the docking station, since only a single device can use the docking station at anytime, and hence a clear one-to-many relationship of the docked device with the peripherals connected to the docking station.
In wireless docking, a wireless link is present between a client device, also known as a Wireless Dockee (WD), with a set of peripherals. The peripheral are usually connected to a host device, also known as a Wireless Docking Host (WDH) or a Wireless Docking Station. Such connection between the host device and the peripheral may be wired or wireless and it may use different connection protocols for each peripheral. In a docking action, the Wireless Docking Host (WDH) facilitates the establishment of connection between the Wireless Dockee (WD) with a set of peripherals.
Because at least some of the connections are wireless, in particular that between the docking host and the dockee, this allows for much more flexible usage scenarios, for example since there are no physical constraints it could be possible for multiple WDs to connect to the same wireless docking host, gaining access to the same set or a subset of the peripherals. For peripherals that are designed to be shared between multiple devices (e.g. an IP based printer that can manage its own print queue) multiple WDs could use such peripherals whilst being docked. However, most peripherals (e.g. many USB peripherals) are not designed to be shared between multiple devices.
Hence there is a need to allow for improved flexibility of realizing connection between the dockee devices and the peripherals.